Michigan State University Athletics
Brooke Bogan: Leading On And Off The Track
5/6/2021 11:56:00 AM | Track and Field
By Maisy Nielsen For MSUspartans.com
Michigan State senior sprinter Brooke Bogan finished the 200s meter dash with a personal record of 24.27 seconds at the 2019 Outdoor Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa.Â
Not only did Bogan post her best time, but she did it under pretty interesting circumstances: running in a protective boot.Â
Bogan, then a sophomore, had been practicing with a Grade 2 stress injury in her right ankle, an injury she didn't know she had until late in the outdoor season. She decided to run through the pain, as this was the final race of her sophomore season.
Two years later, the MSU senior and Ann Arbor native is still competing with an injury, this time to her hip.Â
"That's been hurting me for about a year now," Bogan said. "...I guess how I deal with it is just, one, I have a very high pain tolerance, and two, just kind of knowing that an injury doesn't define what kind of athlete I am or what I am capable of."
Despite the injuries, Bogan continues to strive to be her best. She knows her limits. She also wants to continue being a leader for her teammates and fellow Spartans.Â
Bogan's confidence began to flourish midway through her sophomore year, under the guidance of MUS assistant coach (sprints and jumps) Coach Yolanda Johnson. By the end of the season, Bogan had become the vocal team leader, a role she has carried through today.
"Brooke has been a leader because of her character, (her) willingness to fail, (and her) willingness to go through adversity," Johnson said of Bogan. "Confidence is one of the reasons why she's a leader… not only is she speaking for the students, but she's speaking for the athletes. I think that is a great thing, because she's giving them a voice, that they might not necessarily have in these groups she's in."Â
In the wake of ongoing national conversation about race and injustice, Bogan has taken her leadership to another level, fighting for a more diverse and inclusive world for minorities. She is the track and field representative for MSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and added an e-board position with the university's Diversity and Leadership Committee (DLC) and became a DLC liaison for MSU student athletes.Â
"Just seeing how everything has happened with the events this summer and even way before that, just seeing how minorities are always in the spotlight for a lot of negative reasons," Bogan said about her motivations in getting involved with these new positions. "I really try to step up and make sure I'm looking out for others, because I know a lot of my teammates would do the same if I needed something."
Bogan has found the balance between empowering and advocating, following the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season and training in the offseason.
"I think I've become a leader by being an example… just trying to limit my excuses, taking out the fact that I had to bring my volume down a little bit with training because of my hip issue, just going to practice with a positive attitude," Bogan said. "When we would get shut down… just being like, 'You know it's not the end of the world, there's things you can do at home.' Just kind of making sure that everybody knew that this was not the end, this was just an obstacle in the way… I really hammered that in for the team."
Bogan's "fake-it-until-you-make-it" mentality during the pandemic helped her through the days when even she couldn't believe in what she was telling her teammates. Knowing she needed to be the example for her team, Bogan continued to train with Pinterest workouts and resistance bands, in the hopes of a 2020-21 season.Â
"She's consistently working hard… if she has something going on, she's trying to figure out a way to be at her best,"  Interim Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Lisa Breznau said. "She's supportive of her teammates. She communicates well. She's honestly someone I know that anyone on the track and field team could approach for advice, and she would be willing to help them."Â
Group collaboration has shaped Bogan's leadership style, both on and off the track.Â
"It has just made me really understand the importance of hearing what other people have to say," Bogan said. "I'm a strong believer that you could learn from anybody… it just makes you broaden your horizons. There are things that people think about that I would never think about. That has really been a big help for sure."Â
Bogan plans on taking advantage of her COVID year, granted by the NCAA to seniors affected by the season shutdowns in 2020. She will returning for another season, in 2021-22, as a team and university leader.Â
She plans to graduate with her Bachelor's degree in psychology next year, and then wants to take a year off in her pursuit of medical school. She hopes to take her leadership into another field.
"Growing up, I never really had a doctor that looked like me," Bogan said. "That's something I definitely want to get into, because I want to use these leadership skills that I've built and my passion behind wanting to help everybody… just seeing that there is an impact that I could potentially make on somebody's life, I definitely want to do that."
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Michigan State senior sprinter Brooke Bogan finished the 200s meter dash with a personal record of 24.27 seconds at the 2019 Outdoor Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa.Â
Not only did Bogan post her best time, but she did it under pretty interesting circumstances: running in a protective boot.Â
Bogan, then a sophomore, had been practicing with a Grade 2 stress injury in her right ankle, an injury she didn't know she had until late in the outdoor season. She decided to run through the pain, as this was the final race of her sophomore season.
Two years later, the MSU senior and Ann Arbor native is still competing with an injury, this time to her hip.Â
"That's been hurting me for about a year now," Bogan said. "...I guess how I deal with it is just, one, I have a very high pain tolerance, and two, just kind of knowing that an injury doesn't define what kind of athlete I am or what I am capable of."
Despite the injuries, Bogan continues to strive to be her best. She knows her limits. She also wants to continue being a leader for her teammates and fellow Spartans.Â
Bogan's confidence began to flourish midway through her sophomore year, under the guidance of MUS assistant coach (sprints and jumps) Coach Yolanda Johnson. By the end of the season, Bogan had become the vocal team leader, a role she has carried through today.
"Brooke has been a leader because of her character, (her) willingness to fail, (and her) willingness to go through adversity," Johnson said of Bogan. "Confidence is one of the reasons why she's a leader… not only is she speaking for the students, but she's speaking for the athletes. I think that is a great thing, because she's giving them a voice, that they might not necessarily have in these groups she's in."Â
In the wake of ongoing national conversation about race and injustice, Bogan has taken her leadership to another level, fighting for a more diverse and inclusive world for minorities. She is the track and field representative for MSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and added an e-board position with the university's Diversity and Leadership Committee (DLC) and became a DLC liaison for MSU student athletes.Â
"Just seeing how everything has happened with the events this summer and even way before that, just seeing how minorities are always in the spotlight for a lot of negative reasons," Bogan said about her motivations in getting involved with these new positions. "I really try to step up and make sure I'm looking out for others, because I know a lot of my teammates would do the same if I needed something."
Bogan has found the balance between empowering and advocating, following the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season and training in the offseason.
"I think I've become a leader by being an example… just trying to limit my excuses, taking out the fact that I had to bring my volume down a little bit with training because of my hip issue, just going to practice with a positive attitude," Bogan said. "When we would get shut down… just being like, 'You know it's not the end of the world, there's things you can do at home.' Just kind of making sure that everybody knew that this was not the end, this was just an obstacle in the way… I really hammered that in for the team."
Bogan's "fake-it-until-you-make-it" mentality during the pandemic helped her through the days when even she couldn't believe in what she was telling her teammates. Knowing she needed to be the example for her team, Bogan continued to train with Pinterest workouts and resistance bands, in the hopes of a 2020-21 season.Â
"She's consistently working hard… if she has something going on, she's trying to figure out a way to be at her best,"  Interim Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Lisa Breznau said. "She's supportive of her teammates. She communicates well. She's honestly someone I know that anyone on the track and field team could approach for advice, and she would be willing to help them."Â
Group collaboration has shaped Bogan's leadership style, both on and off the track.Â
"It has just made me really understand the importance of hearing what other people have to say," Bogan said. "I'm a strong believer that you could learn from anybody… it just makes you broaden your horizons. There are things that people think about that I would never think about. That has really been a big help for sure."Â
Bogan plans on taking advantage of her COVID year, granted by the NCAA to seniors affected by the season shutdowns in 2020. She will returning for another season, in 2021-22, as a team and university leader.Â
She plans to graduate with her Bachelor's degree in psychology next year, and then wants to take a year off in her pursuit of medical school. She hopes to take her leadership into another field.
"Growing up, I never really had a doctor that looked like me," Bogan said. "That's something I definitely want to get into, because I want to use these leadership skills that I've built and my passion behind wanting to help everybody… just seeing that there is an impact that I could potentially make on somebody's life, I definitely want to do that."
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Players Mentioned
Sprints/Hurdles
/ Track and FieldWednesday, April 02
Monday, May 13
Saturday, May 11
Saturday, May 11